Safe
by rukkusmaker
Summary: Sam and Dean go on a mission to find a Hunter that nobody can ever find. With an anonymous tip from some chick in a dark alley they come close to finding the Hunter when demons attack. Will they risk their lives to save a girl, or will they go after the well known Hunter instead?
1. Chapter 1

This is only Chapter one. I will post more when I have time. Hope you enjoy :)

She leaned around the corner of the dark alleyway watching the mysterious Dean Winchester.

"What are you up to?" She asked aloud.

"I'm wondering the same thing!" She was suddenly pushed against the wall with an arm at the base of her neck. She felt the cold tip of a knife under her chin and knew she was in trouble. She had not expected Sam Winchester to sneak up behind her and pin her against a brick wall. Around the corner comes Dean. "Kinky little guy ain't ya?" She teased Sam. Dean's lip twitched a bit at trying not to smile at her comment.

"Who are you?" He asked in his gruff voice. The girl moved slightly under Sam's hold, making the knife break the skin. Blood slowly welled up and trickled down her throat. She let out a giggle which made Sam push her harder against the wall.

"What's so funny?" He asked her. She let out a silent thanks that the moon was shining on the brothers' face, but hers was still hidden in the dark shadows.

"Well if you must know, the blood running down my throat tickled me, therefore I laughed. Wow, you sure are a grumpy umpkin. What is your problem?"

"My problem is that some girl is stalking my brother and I. I am trying to figure out why. I do not care how it happens, but I will find out why you are stalking us." Sam's face was unreadable, as it usually was when he was hunting.

"What do you want?" Dean asked the mysterious girl. A slow smile showed that she was not going to talk so easily.

"If you want to know, you're going to have to let me go. This is kind of" She coughed before she continued. "Kind of uncomfortable. And difficult to breathe." Sam and Dean shared a look and Dean gave a slight shake of his head. Sam pressed his arm harder against the girl, making her actually struggle for breath. He held the knife on her neck, no emotion showing in his eyes.

"Well, it was worth a shot." The girl then kneed Sam in the crotch area, making him release her to caress his now aching jewels. The girl scurried deeper into the shadows. The older Winchester brother followed her every move, so as to not let her go.

Dean quickly got the girl in a neck hold that would be impossible to break. Sam had recovered from his slight injury and was again on his feet. He still had the knife in his hand and brought it closer to the girl's face. He held the sharp object close to the girl's right eye.

"Tell us who you are and what you want." Sam demanded.

"Alright. Jeez, I thought Dean was the bossy one." Dean gave a smug grin towards Sam making him give a bitch face in return.

"I have been tailing you guys all day to see what you guys have been up to." Dean slightly smacked Sam on the shoulder with the back of his hand and exclaimed,

"I told you I thought someone was following us! But you never listen." Sam rolled his eyes at his older brother. The girl continued.

"Well, I overheard Dean on the phone with Garth talking about finding a Hunter by the name of LJ." Sam and Dean shared another look with one another. The girl had stopped talking, finding amusement from the brothers' reaction.

"Anytime now, sweetheart." Dean tightened his grip on the girl becoming impatient with her. Again she smiled with amusement in seeing the elder Winchester grow impatient. She struggled slightly, a movement that insisted that Dean let her go. Surprisingly, he let her out of the hold, making her fall on her ass. With an annoyed sigh, the mysterious girl continued to talk.

"Well, LJ is a hard Hunter to come by as I suspect you boys have figured out?" She poised it as a question, but knew the answer. Nobody could find LJ if the Hunter did not want to be found.

"Well?" Sam who was usually patient switched his weight from one foot to the other.

"Well, I know where you can find her." Dean wasted no time in moving closer to the girl, yanking her to her feet by grabbing her shirt.

"I am growing impatient with you. You better spit out the information you have now, or I'll make you spit out your teeth." The girl found this amusing as she laughed at him and grabbed his hands.

"Paws off the merchandise, buddy." And peeled his hands from her shit. She took her time in straightening out her shirt before she continued.

"Well, anyway. LJ can be found on Wednesday nights in the shop down the street were they have the _End of The World_ discussion groups. It is quite interesting actually. But heed this warning, the girl with the yellow eyes..." She took a breath. "Well, just do not tell her who you guys are. When she finds out you are the Winchesters, you will never meet LJ, she will make sure of that!" Sam took a step closer to the girl who paid him no mind.

"Why are you helping us?" He asked her.

"Well, I am just a nice person." She said shrugging her shoulders. This comment received a scoff from Dean. She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Honestly, I think it will be interesting to see the showdown between the famous Winchester brothers and LJ." She started backing up, running escape plans through her head. When the brothers shared another look, she made her escape. Sticking close to the wall and staying in the shadows, she ran quietly and easily through the dark, uncrowded streets.

"Anything else we should know?" Dean asked, looking to where the girl just was. "Son of a bitch!" He yelled. "She got away!" He hit the closet thing, holding back the cry of pain when his knuckles connected with the brick wall.

"Let's go back to the motel. After a night's sleep, we can see if she was telling the truth or not." Sam said, heading back to the 1967 Impala that his brother loved so much. Dean grumbled as he made his way the his Baby. They got to the motel and Dean laid on his bed. He stretched his arms above his head making a groan of pleasure.

"Well Sammy, did today turn out how you wanted it to?" He asked his brother using the nickname that only he can. Sam was sitting on his bed on his laptop. He made a noise that usually meant no. Dean raised his eyebrows and turned over. He had not realized how tired he was until his eyelids started to droop. Sam looked over at his brother who had passed out the minute his head hit the pillow. Sam put his laptop aside and got up to grab a beer. He ran his hand through his long hair and sighed deciding it was time he went to bed too. He quickly downed the beer he had just picked up and turned off his computer. As he lay on his back, he looked over at his brother.

"Night Dean." Sam whispered, happily welcoming the darkness.

Dean woke up, slightly squinting as the sun filtered in the room. The bed next to him had been slept in, but all that was there now were empty beer bottles that had not been there before he passed out. He grunted and stretched his arms while he sat up. How long had he been sleeping? He stared out the window waiting for his eyes to adjust to being awake. Dean trudged over to the bathroom wiping a thin sheen of sweat from his face. He decided that a shower would feel good and reached behind his back to pull his shirt over his head. He let his jeans fall to his feet and stepped out of them. He turned on the shower before he stepped in and tested it before stepping out of his boxers. The slightly painful spray of water reddened his skin, but he welcomed it gladly. Dean got lost in the bliss of the shower and did not heard Sam come through the door. He jumped when Sam knocked on the bathroom door, nearly hitting his head on the wall of the shower. After letting loose a stream of profanities, he turned off the water and clambered out of the shower. He yanked the towel from the wall and wrapped it around his waist. He nearly yanked the door off the wall as he pulled it open. Sam was standing there with a smile on his face.

"You actually woke up!" Sam exclaimed, towering over his older brother. Dean placed his hand on his younger brother's chest and pushed him out of his way. Dean walked over to the bed and pulled out the duffel-bag that was under the bed. He pulled clean clothes from the bag and quickly got dressed while Sam was in the bathroom.

Sam walked into the steamy bathroom and almost crack his head open when he tripped over Dean's jeans that he left on the floor.

"Dammit Dean!" Sam swore and kicked the jeans away. He unzipped his jeans and released the build up he has been holding it since he woke up. He quickly washed his hands and was startled to see an image in the mirror behind him. He quickly turned to see that nobody was there. Sam splashed water on his face then picked up Dean's clothes.

"How many times do I have to tell you to pick up your clothes!?" Sam exclaimed as he threw his brother's clothes at him. They hit Dean in the face and he grabbed them and stuffing the clothes in a bag.

"Lighten up Sammy! Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" Dean asked his cranky younger brother. There was something bothering him.

"Shut up and pack the car." Sam snapped and grabbed his bag. He rushed out the door leaving his brother standing there, dumbfounded. Dean shrugged his shoulders and finished pulling his shirt over his head. He grabbed his bag and walked outside after Sam. Sam threw his bag in the backseat and jumped into the car. He had his head in his hands and was breathing heavily when Dean walked up. He hit the roof twice making Sam jump.

"What's going on with you Sammy? You alright?" Dean asked his brother while climbing into the car. He looked at his brother through worrisome eyes. Sam ran both hands through his thick, long, dark brown hair and glanced at his brother. With a deep sigh he gave his brother a smile.

"Nothing, just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Don't lie to me Sam. I can tell something is eating away at you. There is nothing I do not know about you. I've been by your side since you were born." Sam stared at the road thinking about what to tell his brother. He knew he couldn't hide it forever. With one last deep sigh Sam looked at his brother deciding to just tell him.

"Dean, I got a call this morning from Garth." Dean glanced at his brother with a questioningly look.

"Well, what did he say?" Sam shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"Well, he said LJ hasn't been heard from for a few months. He has been trying to track her down, but after talking to her partner Lizzie, he was informed that nobody had heard from her since her last hunt." Dean let out what sounded like a groan.

"Now what are we supposed to do?" He asked his little brother, hoping he had an idea. Which lucky for him, he did. The only thing was, it was stupid. Stupid in Dean's opinion.

"I was thinking we could always do what that girl from last night told us. I went by the place this morning and found out that the discussion group or whatever starts around 5." Dean shook his head.

"No, absolutely not. This could be a trap. Trust me when I say I will not let you go there." Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's need to protect him.

"Dean, I'm a grown man."

"Yeah, I'll say." Dean interrupted. Sam ignored his comment and kept talking.

"You cannot keep me from harm forever. I can do what I want and in this case, I want to listen to the girl. Even if it is a trap, we will bring weapons." Sam's dewy eyes were begging his brother. Dean tried not to look at his younger brother because he knew the look that Sam was giving. As much as he tried not to look at his brother, he ended up caving.

"Alright fine, we'll go tonight. What's the plan?" Dean asked, mad at himself for giving in so easily.


	2. Chapter 2

"Seriously? There could not be a zombie apocalypse, that is just Hollywood bullshit." Dean and Sam walk into the discussion group only to be greeted by people arguing.

"Not zombies exactly, but people infected with the croatoan virus?" Another person argued.

"They are basically the same thing. See when-" Suddenly all eyes immediately went to Sam and Dean. The room had gone silent, a pin could have been heard if one fell. Sam lifted his hand in an attempt to wave, but got blank stares in return.

"Is this the _End of The World_ discussion group?" Dean asked, trying to fill the uncanny silence. Nobody spoke a word. Finally, a girl with shoulder length light brown hair and eyes as yellow as a cat's approached them. With her hands on her hips she asked, "Who wants to know?" Dean looked to his little brother for help, only to see him smirking. The girl turned to Sam.

"Why are you so smug?" She asked, getting in his face. Sam took a step back and held up his hands to show that he was not a threat. This gesture made Dean chuckle until the girl again turned her sights on him.

"We were looking for someone by the name of LJ and was told that she could be found here." Dean stood his ground not wanting to seem weak for being intimidated by a girl that was at least 6 inches shorter than him. "Who. Wants. To. Know." The yellow eyed girl asked. Just as Sam was about to speak,a door opened and out walked a girl in blue plaid shorts and a dark blue sports bra. Steam followed her out the door as she walked with a towel in hand drying her dark black hair. She did not seem to notice the two men who was being questioned by her friend.

"Alright, so what are we talking about tonight? See, while I was in the shower I was thinking that maybe there was a war between angels and-" She stopped in her tracks as she looked up and caught sight of Sam and Dean. With her left hand she pointed at them with a dumbfounded look on her face.

"Who are they?" She asked. The girl who had been questioning them had backed up a few steps when the door had opened up and would not look up. Everyone was staring at this confrontation as if they just had their faces ripped off. With a now shy and quiet voice, the yellow eyed girl spoke up.

"We have been trying to figure that out. They came here looking for LJ." This sparked the towel girl's interest. With a smile she turned.

"Alrighty, follow me boys. Let's have a talk." An audible gasp was heard. The girl's head snapped in that direction making everyone's eyes wide. She continued to walk and grabbed the doorknob close to where she had just come out. She looked over her shoulder and shouted to the confused brothers,

"Are ya coming or what?" Sam looked at Dean who gave a sharp nod and took the lead. Sam quickly followed his brother, looking away from the yellow eyed girl who was giving him the evil eye. The girl continued to dry her dark black hair as the boys followed her into the small room. She shut the door behind them and motioned for them to sit on the couch.

"Want coffee? I just made some finger sandwiches too." Dean's eyes lit up at the mention of food. Sam shook his head. "So do you know this LJ person?" He asked, getting straight to the point. The girl placed the tray of food on the coffee table in front of them and sat in the chair staring at them. Dean immediately went for the sandwiches and started eating them. Sam gave Dean a bitch face which Dean saw, but ignored. "So, now are you going to tell us how to get a hold of LJ?" Dean asked through a mouthful of food. The girl sat back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"First off, how do you even know of LJ?" She asked while staring at Sam. Dean swallowed his food and answered, "A Hunter by the name of Garth told us." And he went for another sandwich. The girl laughed making both the brothers look up. She coughed.

"I'm sorry, Garth is just... Well he sure is something else." She had a smile about a mile wide on her face. Dean gave a weird look to Sam.

"Um okay? Well..." Sam shifted in his seat. She got up and headed into another room. When she came back, she was holding a tray with three cups on it. She placed one in front of Dean and one in front of Sam and she put hers on the table.

"Why did you guys come here to look for her?" She crossed her legs and stared directly at Dean who coughed. "Well we told you, Garth-" Just then screaming could be heard from the room where the others were. The girl jumped up and ran to the door only to be hit in the face when the door was kicked open. She jumped back and pulled a machete off the wall as the strange man began to run at her. She easily jumped aside and sliced the guy's head off. Sam and Dean were on their feet with their weapons ready. She looked at them with pleading eyes and ran off into the other room. The brothers followed of course only to be welcomed with the sight of everyone they had previously met fighting off demons. Dean saw the yellow eyed girl from before get thrown across the room and heard glass break as she hit the glass cabinet. It began to tip over making Dean race to her rescue. He ran and grabbed her arm and yanked her from the glassy mess. She nodded a thanks to him and went back to fight. As Dean turned around to follow her, he was hit upon the head with something extremely hard and fell to the floor. He heard his little brother scream his name and race towards him. Dean tried to warn him about the demon behind him, but all that came out was a croak. He saw little Sammy fall to the ground with a loud, sickening _thwack_. He tried to get up only to be hit again. Before the darkness consumed him, he saw the black haired girl get dragged from the room, unconscious.


	3. Chapter 3

LJ awoke to the sound of a heart beating. Realization told the Hunter that it belonged to none other than herself. LJ soon realized that she had been kidnapped. A tug of the hands behind the Hunter told her that there was no moving or escaping. Cursing out loud, LJ began to think of a way to get out. Blood dripped down the Hunter's face, a reminder of what went on the previous night. She had been kidnapped by demons. They had ransacked her hiding place. Who had given her away? LJ soon heard a voice outside the door containing her. Taking deep breaths so she would not panic, the Hunter again tugged at the ropes binding her to the pole. The harder she pulled, but more raw her skin became. Within seconds her wrists were bleeding from twisting and turning them. As the door loudly creaked open, sudden silence told LJ that something big was about to go down. In front of her crouched a man with black hair and not quite a beard, but not quite scruff. He was slightly chubby and spoke with a British accent.

"Hello Sunshine." He greeted the Hunter, pushing a cluster of black hair that had fallen on her face back.

"So, you're the famous LJ? I am surprised. I never expected-" He was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. He turned to see a man in a trench-coat standing there. He was slightly taller than the other guy.

"Biscuits." He exclaimed right before the man in the trench-coat punched him in the face. The guy with the British accent went flying backwards, hitting stacked crates. The noise alerted other demons to the room, making the strange man in the trench-coat begin to rush. He used a long silver blade to quickly cut the ropes that secured LJ's arms. He then proceeded to press his first two fingers against the forehead of LJ, making the Hunter appear in a small, dark room. Two men were sitting in chairs, looking at the man in shock.

"Cas, I thought you were going after LJ, not the girl we met yesterday." Dean asked the man while looking at the girl. "No offense." Cas gave his Hunter friend a look of confusion.

"This is LJ." He told the man who was holding a bag of ice on the back of his head. Sam's eyes widened in shock. The female Hunter offered them a small shy smile.

"Nice to see you boys are safe." The Hunter said.

"So you're LJ? But... But, you're a girl!" Dean exclaimed, clearly in shock that this famous Hunter that everybody has been talking about was not male. She snorted, completely un-ladylike. Sam's head was cocked slightly to the right.

"Why didn't you just tell us last night that you were LJ?" Her lips curled up in what was an attempt to smile, but turned into a snarl.

"I was getting to it when we were attacked by filthy demons. Get your hands off of me!" Cas had placed a hand on the Hunter, making her flinch. She had not put together the fact that this was an angel and he was healing her wounds. A look of hurt flashed through his bright blue eyes, but was gone as quickly as it had come. Dean slammed the bag of ice on the table.

"He's trying to help you, which in my opinion he should throw you back to where he got you." LJ rolled her eyes as she looked at her wrists to see that they were healed.

"What did you do? What are you?" She asked, looking back at the man in the trench-coat.

"Well, I would think the famous LJ would know an angel when she meets one." Dean said, walking to the other side of the room to the dirty refrigerator. It was the LJ's turn to cock her head to the side.

"Intriguing." She exclaimed, examining the man in the trench-coat. Cas turned his eyes towards Dean, unsure of what was going on. Dean let out a low chuckle, finding amusement from his friend.

"Castiel, how did you know where to find her?" Sam spoke up for the first time since they arrived.

"I'd like to know that too." The female Hunter replied, leaning back. Her head seemed felt as though it was going to pound right off her shoulders, but she did her best to ignore it. The angel took a seat and began to explain.

"I saw Crowley's minions surrounding an abandoned ware-house and went to see what he was up to. I found her, beaten and tied to a pole. He was had a knife behind his back when I showed up and rescued her." Sam leaned forward, interested in knowing what else had happened.

"I still don't understand how you know this is LJ." Dean began to rub his eyes as he sat back on the chair, now with a beer in his hands.

"I know this is LJ same as I know that you are Sam, and you are Dean. I am a celestial being you know?" Dean shrugged his shoulders as Sam began to examine LJ. She shifted uncomfortably under his eyes, knowing what he was capable of. She still had the cut from under her chin and a bruise from where his arm kept her pressed against the wall. Hopefully he did not recognize her from that night in the alley. She hoped that neither Winchester knew it was her who tipped them off about herself. She just wished that she had expected the attack of the demons. Blood was clotted in her black hair. She felt dirty and disgusting and would give anything to take a shower. Lost in her own thoughts, she had not noticed that she was being talked to.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" She gasped as she snapped out of her thoughts only to come to with the face of Dean Winchester only inches away.

"What?" She asked, trying to move away from him being so close. He laughed at this and took a few steps back.

"I asked you if you would like to take a shower. I can see that having blood clotted in your hair is bothering you because of the way you keep picking at it. Do you often zone out like this?" The female Hunter ignore his second question.

"I'd love a shower, but it would do me no good without having clean clothes." LJ heard the sound of wind and feathers and Castiel disappeared in thin air. Having never witnessed this before, she gasped in shock. Both Winchester boys looked at the Hunter questioningly, making her avert her eyes from theirs. Again she heard the sound of wind and a loud thump only to be welcomed with the sight of Castiel holding a bag.

"Here are some clothes." He handed the bag to the girl. Shock was written all over her face.

"Th-Thank you." She stammered. She was not used to such kindness. Only Lizzie ever treated her kindly. This thought reminded her of her yellow cat-eyed partner.

"Where is Lizzie?" She questioned the Winchesters, remembering the fact that they had witnessed the demon attack. The brothers looked at each other, not knowing the name. LJ rolled her eyes.

"The girl with the cat-like yellow eyes?" She offered. She saw recognition flash through Dean's eyes. He looked away from her questioning eyes as he took another swig from his beer.

"Last I saw, she was passed out on the floor of the store." Sam glowered at his brother for being so inconsiderate.

"Dean!" He softened his gaze when he looked at the worried Hunter.

"We left her back at the store. She was still breathing if that makes you feel any better." It did not, but the girl smiled a thanks at the younger Winchester. She began headed towards the bathroom to get the dried blood from her skin and scalp. Before she got too far she turned around.

"Before you knew I was LJ, you guys weren't going to look for me, were you?" She asked, already knowing the answer. Dean was at a loss of words while Sam focused on whatever he was doing on his laptop. With a sigh, she turned back to the bathroom. "That's what I thought." She muttered.


	4. Chapter 4

LJ stepped into the hot steamy mist of the shower. There was more water pressure in this motel bathroom than in most other. LJ turned her back to the spray of the water and tilted her head back so that she could wet her hair. After making sure it was soaked, she grabbed the mini shampoo bottle and squeezed all the soap into her hand. She scrubbed her scalp, determined to get all the blood and dirt from her hair when she heard a knock at the door. Ignoring it, she rinsed out the soap and watched the red and black water run down the drain. Again a knock was heard.

"What?" LJ yelled, annoyed that her bliss was getting interrupted. No answer. There was no conditioner, so LJ proceeded to wash her body when the door was kicked in. She knew better than to scream, so she slowly turned off the water and pulled down the towel that was hanging over the pole of the curtain and wrapped it around her body. Quickly swiping the curtain to the side, LJ saw Dean laying unconscious in the scraps of the wooden door. She looked through the doorway and saw Cas fighting with a large, bulky male about twice his size. The guy Cas was fighting turned to see LJ peeking around the corner and threw Cas across the room. Her eyes widen as the man came closer, revealing black eyes. The Hunter began to search Dean to see if he had any weapons when a grunted cry was heard. She looked up to see that Sam had stabbed the demon, making him light up like a jack-o-lantern. He quickly collapsed and Sam looked at LJ who was still leaning over Dean's body, hand in his jacket. Sam raised his eyebrows at this curious sight before him.

"Uh, this is not what it looks like." Dean mumbled as he began to regain consciousness. LJ quickly stood up and backed away.

"I was just looking for some sort of weapon so that I could defend myself." Sam was still eyeing the female Hunter as he walked over to offer his older brother a hand. She felt her face grow hot as she realized that she was still in only a towel. Dean had glanced her way and shot her a wink.

"If you wanted to feel me, all you had to do was ask."

"Can I get dressed now?" LJ asked, avoiding eye contact with both Winchesters. Dean chuckled as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Knock yourself out." He then proceeded to open another beer and put his legs on the table. LJ ducked behind the shower curtain seeing as the door had been busted down and broken into little splinters. She quickly pulled on some tight dark blue jeans and a dark purple tank top. In the bag were her favorite leather boots that she pulled on. The female Hunter had no brush to get the tangles from her hair, so instead pulled it into a ponytail. Cas was standing in the room having a stare-down with the Winchesters when she walked out of the bathroom.

"Well, this has been fun. Thanks for the shower. Hope you boys have a nice life." She exclaimed as she turned the doorknob to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Dean asked in his gruff voice.

"You don't seriously expect me to stay with you guys do you? You're practically walking targets!" Sam snorted at her comment. She rolled her eyes and closed the door behind her when Cas appeared right in front of her. She heard the door she had just come from open behind her.

"You cannot leave. You are in danger. You are safer with them then without." Knowing she couldn't get around him, she sighed exasperated and walked back into the motel room.

"Gave in that easily? I sure wouldn't trust you with secrets in case you were tortured." Sam slapped the back of Dean's head. Dean quickly scowled at his younger brother. LJ sat on a bed and slumped, not knowing what to do. She hadn't realized how late it was until she had gone outside. Sam looked at the tired Hunter as she yawned.

"You should go to sleep. You have had a rough day." LJ could deny it all she wanted, but she knew she had to get sleep sometime. When she didn't move, Sam walked to the dirty refrigerator.

"Listen, just lay down. We aren't going anywhere. You'll be safe." He popped open the beer and took a small swig out of it before opening his laptop. After pulling off her boots, LJ Curled into a ball on the bed and drifted off to a deep, dreamless sleep. She awoke to a bright light shining in her eyes. She sat up groggily and stared at a stain on the wall. The bed to her left held an oversize Sam Winchester. His legs were well over the edge of the bed, but he didn't seem to mind. After her eyes adjusted to being awake, LJ noticed Dean who was asleep in a wooden chair. Seeing her chance to escape, LJ quickly yanked on her boots. She quietly tip-toed to the door and pulled it open, the squeaked echoing throughout the quiet room. Slightly jumping, the female Hunter glanced behind her. Both boys were still in a deep sleep, making her able to slide out the door. She closed it slowly to make sure it didn't squeak again and turned around only to be face to face with Cas. She jumped back, hand on her heart. "Where are you going?" He asked her. Rolling her eyes as she walked past the angel, she said

"Away. I have disappeared many times, I sure can do it again." The angel kept following the Hunter, easily keeping up with her quick pace. Finally getting annoyed, she turned and faced him.

"Listen, Cas, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. I've been on my own hunting since I was 12. I know what I'm doing. Please, just let me go." Before Cas was able to respond, a slamming door was heard in the distance. LJ knew it was the Winchesters, so she took off running. The angel vanished in thin air, making LJ wonder if he was helping her or not. Quickly jumping into an alley and ducking behind a trash can, LJ watched as both Sam and Dean stopped in the opening of the alley.

"Shit, how far could she have gotten?" Dean asked, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Not far. She was still asleep when I woke up an hour ago." Sam responded to his brother. Not making a sound, LJ stayed crouched in her little hiding spot. She listened as the brothers split up to look for her and after counting to 100, she got up. Looking both ways before making a run for it, LJ crossed the street. She ducked into a diner after almost running into Dean. Turning around to see faces staring at her, LJ decides to take a seat. She had found some money in the pocket of the jeans she had on, so it wouldn't hurt to get some coffee. A waitress with short, curly red hair approached the Hunter with a smile on her face.

"What can I get for you dearie?" She asked. LJ smiled back at the women.

"Um, just a coffee. Black. Thank you." The waitress nodded and went to the back of the restaurant. With a sigh, LJ leaned back and looked out the window. She watched the people walking by, totally unaware of the real world. She wished she could be like that. Startled out of her thoughts when her coffee came, LJ jumped. The waitress sat in front of LJ after setting down the coffee, immediately sending bad signals the Hunter. Almost right after sitting down, the waitress's eyes went all black.

"Ah, fuck." LJ exclaimed, making the demon across from her smile. After glancing around the room, she saw that everyone had the same black eyes.

"Well, you sure were lucky to have escaped that first time. You shouldn't have run away." The waitress taunted. When all hope seemed lost, a bell on the door jingled revealing a man about 6'1". Someone LJ recognized right away.

**Around the same time**

Dean awoke to a pain in his back. He stretched his arms above his head as his vision cleared. He smiled at his little brother who was too long for the tiny twin bed he was asleep on. Sam was entangled in the sheets when Dean's eyes wandered to the other empty bed. As soon as he noticed the bed was empty, Dean rushed to the door. The chain was hanging and the deadbolt was undone. She ran.  
"Sam, wake up!" He commanded his brother while hitting his foot. Sam sat up with a start and blinked a few times before he could see.

"Wha-What happened?" He asked his brother while rubbing his eyes. Dean began to shove his clothes and guns into his duffel-bag.

"She's gone." His voice was deeper when he was angry, letting Sam know to hurry. Soon, they were both running out the door, letting it slam behind them. Sam pointed at a girl who had run the opposite direction, headed for an alleyway. The Winchesters took off after her, not knowing whether it was the missing Hunter or not. Looking down the alley, Dean leaned on his knees to catch his breath.

"Shit, how far could she have gotten?" Dean asked through breaths.

"Not far. She was still asleep when I woke up an hour ago." Sam glanced behind him, thinking he heard a noise. Deciding to split up, the boys went opposite directions to see if they could find LJ. After searching for almost an hour, Dean called Sam on his cell phone.

"She is nowhere to be found!" He yelled in his gruff voice.

"Well, how about we meet up and get something to eat?" Sam suggested. They agreed to meet up at the restaurant that was on the corner that Dean had passed looking for LJ. He had gotten there just as Sam was rounding the corner. With a nod toward the direction of his brother, Dean pushed open the door. The sight he walked into was ghastly. Dead bodies were strewn all over the ground, all having been stabbed in.

"Look, Dean." Sam had found a stray boot under a table. As Dean walked to his brother, a groan was heard from the back of the restaurant. Sharing a look with his brother, Dean stealthily walked into the kitchen. When he got there, he was shocked to find an old hunting buddy.

"Garth!? What the hell happened here?" Dean asked as he helped his friend to his feet. Other than a slight wound on his head, Garth was unharmed.

"Wait, where is she!? They took her, Balls!" Garth had scanned the room, disappointed when he didn't find the person he was looking for.

"Garth?" Sam questioned as he walked into the kitchen. Garth hastily ran out the door, stopping on the sidewalk to look for a clue as to where this person was taken.

"Garth, what are you looking for?" Sam asked as he got out of the restaurant.

"Didn't you think this town was weird? I mean, look at it! There are no people walking around on a beautiful day like today! Why would that be?" He stared at the Winchesters when the sound of a whip of wind and a thump was heard, making Garth jump.

"She has been abducted. Again."

"Castiel! So good to see you again!" Garth hugged the unexpected angel.

"Do you mean LJ?" Sam asked Cas who in response grunted and pushed away the hugging Hunter.

"What do we do now?" Sam looked to Dean for an answer, but it was Cas who replied.

"We find her." Dean did not have to look at his baby brother to know that he was giving Castiel a bitch face. Garth stood in between Cas and Sam.

"Whoa. I am all for finding her. But is anyone else wondering why they want her so bad?"

"No." Cas said, vanishing from everyone's sight.

"Thanks for that Cas!" Dean yelled. He then began to walk back to the motel where he parked his slick black 1967 Chevy Impala. After he and Sam got in, Garth leaned into Dean's window.

"Where are we going to look?" He asked, desperately wanting to be on a job again.

"I don't know." Dean began to pull away from the curb, making Garth jump back.

"You are looking for her, right?" Garth asked, following the now moving vehicle. Dean in response drove faster so Garth was unable to keep up.

"Balls!" He exclaimed, throwing his hat on the ground. After watching the Winchesters leave, he picked up his hat and jumped into his rusted up Ford Ranchero and headed out of town. Whether the Winchesters were going to help or not, he was going to find LJ.


	5. Chapter 5

A slight breeze and a shiver awoke LJ. She lay on a what felt like a metal table with leather straps binding her wrists and ankles. She was void of any clothes with only leather straps covering her up. Looking around the empty room, LJ got a sinking feeling in her gut. Nobody knew where to find her. Nobody would want to find her. She tried to move, but the straps would not let her. She heard a slight noise of what sounded to be a door closing. Quiet footsteps approached the defenseless Hunter, making her heart begin to beat rapidly.

"LJ, _ohmygosh_." The sound of her old friend's voice was music to her ears.

"Lizzie! You found me!" LJ exclaimed, voice hoarse once again.

"Are you okay? You look awful!" The yellow-eyed girl began to examine the Hunter's binding, seemingly trying to figure out how to undo them.

"Can you just get me out of these and help me find some clothes. I'm cold." The request seemed easy, and the girl nodded. She began to walk away when the sound of a door opening caught their attention.

"Hide." LJ mouthed to her friend. Lizzie looked around only to crouch behind a table covered in different kinds of carving knives. The same man that had her tied up before appeared at the Hunter's side. With a smile, he pushed hair from her face.

"Thought you could escape forever, did you?" He picked up a knife with a sharp point and a slight upward curve to it.

"Well, I never even got to introduce myself. My name is Crowley." He pricked himself with the point of the knife and showed it to her.

"You see how sharp this is? If you don't tell me what I want to know, you will find out just how sharp this beauty is." He walked around the table, closer to where Lizzie was crouching. Wanting to protect her friend, LJ pulled on the straps, making Crowley chuckle

"You are not going anywhere, Love. I made sure of that." He put the knife down and walked to the other side of the table where he saw the crouching yellow-eyed girl. With a smile, he grabbed the collar of her shirt and yanked her to her feet.

"Don't touch her! Do whatever you want to me, but let her go!" Panic began to rise in LJ's chest as she saw the scared look in her friend's eyes.

"I will leave you to your job." Crowley told the girl, letting go of her. Confusion struck the restrained Hunter until she saw the yellow eyes of her friend turn into a dark black.

"Get out of her!" LJ screamed, straining to get out of the restraints. Crowley laughed, low and long.

"Best of all, she is awake. She will feel everything that she is doing to you."

"You are one sick son of a bitch!" The Hunter spat. Crowley mimicked a claw.

"Feisty little one, aren't you? Now, as I said before, you answer my questions, you won't be hurt." He handed Lizzie the first knife he had picked up. Not Lizzie, but the demon possessing her.

"Where is it? Where are you hiding it?" Crowley asked, pressing his face close to the Hunter. LJ spat in his face.

"Go screw yourself." While wiping off his face, he nodded to his helper who then proceeded to place the knife on the side of LJ's ribs. Taking a deep breath, she anticipated the pain that she was sure to come.

"I know you do not want this knife to be carving you up, so answer my question." The Hunter rolled her eyes.

"Even if I knew what you were asking me about, why would I tell you?" She warily looked at her friend who was holding the knife on her skin.

"Very good question. You know damn well what I am talking about. Let's just say a little birdie told me about" He glanced at his helper, "About you hiding my box!" LJ gave Crowley a confused look.

"You're about to stab me because I'm hiding a box? Isn't that sort of childish?" She asked, earning an annoyed sigh from Crowley.

"You know what box I'm talking about. The one that holds the amulet. Don't play dumb with me!" And he motions for the demon helper to plunge the knife in the helpless Hunter. She screams in pain, having it echo throughout the room. Crowley cocks his head to the side as he watched the Hunter's body jerk up in pain.

"Now, where is it?" He demanded.

"I don't know." Sighing, Crowley grabs his helper, taking the knife from her hand and holding it to her throat.

"Tell me where the box is and I won't slit her pretty little throat." The demon smokes out of the girls mouth, leaving the room. Lizzie is being held up by Crowley, limp after having the demon leave her. With a shake, Crowley wakes up the girl. Terror was reflected in the girl's eyes as she knew exactly what was happening. Tears fell down her cheeks as the knife touched her skin.

"Tell me where it is!" His voice boomed throughout the room, making both LJ and Lizzie jump.

"I'm sorry, LJ!" Lizzie exclaimed, shaking in the arms of the man.

"I swear I don't know what you're talking about. Just let her go!" Fighting the tears that were welling up in her eyes, LJ again pulled against her restraints.

"Wrong answer." With a single motion, Crowley slit the girls throat.

"NO!" LJ screamed, tears finally pushing their way out as she watched her friend lay motionless on the ground.

"You fucking _bastard! _I have no idea where your precious amulet is!" Crowley shook his head.

"We could have avoided this whole mess. Now she is gone. I am done screwing around. Tell me where it is!" LJ let her head fall, her chin touching her chest. Her head quickly jerked up as she let out another scream of pain. Crowley again penetrated her side with the knife. He began to carve her side, asking over and over where his amulet was. After a few hours of getting nowhere, Crowley decided to take a break. He left LJ clinging to life as her blood dripped down her naked legs. Wishing he would kill her already, she let out the tears she hadn't cried since she was 12. There was nobody that would come to her aid, she knew that now. The only person who would ever look for her was now dead and it was her fault. The Hunter let her head fall once again, fighting the urge to fall asleep. Because of the amount of blood lost, LJ could no longer fight the fact that her body needed sleep and slowly succumbed to the beautiful, painless darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam stole a glance at his brother as they drove out of town.

"Dean, are we seriously not going to look for her?" He asked, unsure of what was on his brother's mind. Pulling into bar parking lot that seemed to be crowded, Dean put his car in park and looked at his little brother.

"Saving people, Hunting things. It's our job, Sammy. Of course we are going to look for her. But we first need to get a lead as to where she is." Dean shut the door of his beloved car as he began to stride toward the door of the bar. Sam briskly followed his brother, still unsure of his brothers thoughts. Sam followed his older brother to a table where they both ordered a beer. Within minutes of getting their beer, Castiel appears next to Sam. He looks to Dean and whispers something into his ear, making the man look up and stare at someone in the distance.

"You sure Cas?"

"Of course I am sure." And with that, their angel friend vanished, leaving nothing behind but the words spoken. Dean got up and tapped Sam on the shoulder, a signal to follow. Sam grabbed his beer and followed Dean outside to an enclosed alley where Dean pushed a man against the wall.

"I know what you are, now you're coming with me." With one hit, the man was unconscious.

"Dean, what the hell was that?" Sam exclaimed incredulously.

"My job." Dean slumped the man over his shoulder and dropped him in the backseat of the Impala. The Winchesters got to an abandoned warehouse where they tied the man up in the middle of a devil's trap. On the way to the warehouse, Dean had explained to Sam that they were going to find out where the missing Hunter was through the torture of this demon. He was known to be a close person to Crowley, who Castiel says, he rescued LJ from the first time. Sam leaned against the wall and watched his brother as he through a glass of Holy water in the man, in turn making him smoke and scream.

"Now, I have had a long day. Either you tell me where Crowley is hiding, or I will torture it out of you." The demon turned the man's eyes black and with a smile, shook his head.

"No can do. Sorry."

"Guess we have to do this the hard way." With the Demon knife in his hand, Dean slowly carves up the demon. After about 3 hours of nothing, Dean goes to cut the demons throat when he begins to beg.

"Okay, I'll tell you where he is. Please, just don't kill me." Smiling slightly at his brother, Dean withdraws from the begging demon.

"Where is he!" Dean demands. The shaking demon looks to Sam.

"You are going to kill me whether I tell you or not. But I can show you!" Sam chuckles and walks over to the demon.

"Why should we trust you not to run away?" Dean gave his brother the knife as he took a break. He poured himself some whiskey as he watched his younger brother.

"I give you my word." Sam looks over his shoulder at a smiling Dean.

"Your word, huh?" He laughs as he downs the whiskey. Sam goes to plunge the knife into the demon when again the demons stops him.

"Okay, okay. He is in an abandoned fishing store on the edge of Lake Erie in Michigan. I promise, that is all I know." Looking at his brother for approval, Sam slits the demon's throat. Leaving him there for someone to find, Dean and Sam hit the road. After passing the _"You are now leaving Illinois" _sign, Sam begins to fall asleep, only to be awakened by his cell phone ringing.

"Hello?" He answered without checking the caller ID.

"I think I may have found a lead on where LJ is being kept. But I need your help." Dean mouths the words, "Who is it?" To which his brother mouthed, "Garth."

"We have too. Headed that way now." Sam told the Hunter.

"So you are headed to Hopkinsville, KY too?" The hope in the Hunter's voice was encouraging.

"Uh, no. We are headed to Michigan." Sam sent confused look towards Dean.

"Ah poopie. One of us must have gotten bad information." Sam smiled despite the situation. Dean grabbed Sam's phone from his hand.

"You check out Kentucky. Let us know what you find out. We will check Michigan. Hopefully one of us is right." And he slammed the phone shut.

"Dean, what if we got the wrong information? It's been 10 hours since LJ was taken, who knows what kind of torture has been done to her?"

"Sammy, What if we got the right information? If we turn around to head towards Kentucky and she isn't there..." He left off, leaving his brother to fill in the rest. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother and was quiet for a while. Dean looked over, surprised his brother hadn't spoken in a while and saw that Sam was passed out. Smiling to himself, Dean turned up the radio, blasting ACDC's _Back in Black _startling Sam awake. He shot Dean one of his most famous bitch faces and turned the radio down.

"Aw, c'mon Sammy! We're almost there!" Dean exclaimed, passing a sign that welcomed them to Michigan.

"Great. Can't wait." The younger Winchester said in a completely monotone voice. Dean chuckled at his grumpy brother, excited to have an actual case for the first time in a while. The sound of Sam's cell ringing broke his train of thought.

"What's up Garth?" Sam answered, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Yeah, yeah okay. Just calm down alright? We are almost to where our lead was. Yeah. Okay. Bye." He sighed audibly and looked to Dean.

"Well, his lead was a bust. All that he found was, well, a bunch of nothing." Sam ran his hand through his long hair. He hoped with everything in him that the female Huntress was holding up alright.

Another loud scream of pain as the hammer came down on her hip. The walls echoed her scream, causing her already hurt head to throb even more. The bright light didn't help.

"You are one tough little chick, I'll give you that much, love." LJ gritted her teeth, holding back the choice words she wanted to spit out. A sigh took Crowley to her other side as he held the heavy hammer above her wrist.

"The thing isn't even worth this much pain to protect. Or is it?" With a swing of his hand, the hammer came down hard, easily breaking the Hunter's already sprained wrist.

"I... told you... I dunno where 'tis." The Hunter got out through strangled breaths. Setting the hammer aside, Crowley looked through over his table of torture devices. He decided on the blow torch, seeing that fire hurt a lot as it was slow.

"No, please." LJ begged. Crowley just smiled as he turned it on and watched as the blue flame came shooting out.

"Just tell me where the damned box that holds my amulet is!" His voice boomed around the room.

"Fine! I'll tell you, just make it stop!" She yelled, clutching her good hand into a fist. Smiling, Crowley turned off the blow torch. Taking deep breaths, the Hunter looked at her torturer.

"If you... go.. beneath the.." She was beginning to loose consciousness as the pain began to be unbearable.

"No no no!" Crowley exclaimed, smacking the cheeks of the Hunter. Her breaths were coming in short and ragged. Only wanting the box with his precious amulet, Crowley once again lit the blow torch. He held it to her shoulder, minutes after she began screaming. He trailed the fire down to her chest leaving small blisters here and there. After a while, he grew bored of her only whimpering and decided to again switch weapons. Looking again for a knife, he realized that his favorite one was missing. Not able to pass out, LJ glances around the room. Her vision is blurred, but she makes out two shapes moving quickly and silently across the room.

"Ah, here it is!" Crowley found his knife that curved upward slightly under two other knives he had used earlier.

"I'm giving you another chance. Tell me where it is!" He moved his face directly in front of hers, knife ready to stab her in the stomach.

"I.. dunno... where-" She was cut off by her own scream as the knife was plunged into her stomach. He slowly pulled it out and placed it under her chin.

"Seems like these weapons are getting me nowhere." He dropped the knife and punched her in the face, shaking his hand out afterward.

"Ow! You have a strong jaw, darling." He exclaimed, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look at him.

"I'm getting tired. Please, let's just end this now." He was begging her.

"I dun-" Another fist in the face. LJ blacked out for a minute, but came to when her leg felt like it was being crushed by a truck. Black spots danced around her vision as she saw the figures moving closer. Crowley had his back turned to them, completely unaware that he had visitors. Just as he was about to stab her again, a hand stopped him.

"That's enough, Crowley." Was that... Dean Winchester? As time wore on, breathing became more difficult. Sam and Dean both fought Crowley until one of them eventually knocked him out. LJ was barely clinging to life when Sam began to unshackle her ankles.

"Holy shit." He exclaimed when he saw that one was close to being smashed right off.

"_Sonuvabitch!"_ Dean had come over to help his brother when he saw her up close. He quickly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her as Sam undid the leather straps that were barely covering her up.

"Tha-" She passed out before she could finish. Dean gave the injured girl to Sam, knowing that he was going to have to fight off demons. They easily got downstairs, only to be surrounded by demons. Pushing his brother in the opposite direction, he retreated with knife drawn. Sam stopped abruptly making Dean run into him. Demons were coming from both sides in thick packs.

"Dean, any plans?" Sam asked, backing against the wall.

"Where is Cas when you need him!?" Dean yelled, stabbing a demon in the throat when he lunged for him. Jumping when Cas appeared next to him, he stabbed another demon. Castiel placed a firm grip on Dean's shoulder while doing the same to Sam and they were immediately transported to the Impala. Sam held the injured girl in his lap as Cas went outside to fight demons away from the car. Stepping on the gas, Dean ran over three demons, making the Impala bump over every one.


	7. Chapter 7

"Haha! Now that's what I call a clean get away!" Dean happily hit the steering wheel as he drove. The girl in Sam's arms moaned as she began to gain consciousness once again.

"Shh, hey. You're alright now. Everything is going to be okay." Sam whispered to the injured girl in his arms. LJ's eyes opened, but she was unable to see anything but darkness. Beginning to panic, she squirmed only to hurt herself in the process.

"Shit, Sammy! Keep her still!" Dean commanded his little brother. After several long hours and a few pit stops, they were back in Lebannon, Kansas, where what Dean calls their "Batcave", is located. Sam gently places the Hunter on the guest bed, trying not to hurt her anymore than she already was. He felt slightly uncomfortable with the fact that all she had on was Dean's leather jacket seeing as it could chafe her already tender skin. "Dean, see if Charlie left any clothes here." He shouted to his brother who was getting some water.

"Why Sammy, so you can play dress up?" His brother teased. Not in the mood, Sam took the water and set it on the nightstand as Dean went to look for something for her to wear. Sam looked at the clock which read 4:10 am. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to stay awake.

"Where... I?" LJ blinked a few times trying to clear her vision, but to no avail.

"Shh, You're safe. Here, drink some water." Sam spoke quietly and gently as he helped the Hunter sit up to drink. She hastily drank the entire glass, only to want more.

"Sa Winches?" She tried to say his name, but could not as what was on her scraped at her burned chest.

"Yes, it's me. You need to rest. I will be back in a few minutes wi-" Although it pained her, she quickly grabbed his shirt.

"Stay!" She begged. After looking into her pleading eyes, Sam nodded and sat back down.

"Got some clothes that should last a month." Dean had an armful of clothes as he walked through the door. Seeing her awake, he lowered his voice.

"Hey there, we will ease the pain as soon as possible. Right now, you just rest up." Sam was surprised at how well Dean was treating her. He nodded to the empty glass as Dean began to walk out. LJ was holding Sam's hand tightly, not wanting him to leave. Dean saw and went to refill it. When he came back, the female Hunter was out cold. Sam closed the door so he didn't wake her up. Dean was praying to Cas for him to show up if he was alive. Sam was approaching the main room when he heard the familiar whip of wind and thump that indicated an angel had just appeared. He saw Dean jump when he turned to see the tired, but safe, Castiel behind him. \

"Jeezus Cas, we need to get you a bell or something!" Dean was clutching his heart as Sam entered the room, slightly chuckling.

"Blow me, Chuckles!" Dean yanked out a chair and sat in it, placing his legs on the table. Cas turned to Sam.

"Have you talked to Garth? He seems worried." Sam shook his head.

"We will get right on that. But first, do you think you can go in there and work your angel healing powers on that poor girl in there?" Dean was staring at Cas, hope dominant on his face. With a nod, Cas was gone. Dean shook his head as he poured a drink.

"So, are you going to call Garth, or am I?" Dean asked his brother before downing his drink. Sam slid his phone across the table to his brother.

"Knock yourself out." Dean slid Sam a beer as he picked up the phone. He got up and talked to him as Sam laid back. Closing his eyes, he was jerked up when he heard a crash. Dean poked his head around the corner.

"Was that you?" He asked. Sam jumped to his feet as he ran to the room where LJ was. When he opened the door, she was holding a sheet around her body as her back was against the wall. Cas was gone, but it was obvious he healed her as much as possible. Seeing Sam and Dean, LJ relaxed. The glass of water spilled when she jumped to her feet, making the crashing sound the Winchesters heard.

"Hey, how ya feeling?" Dean moved closer to her.

"Like a million fucking bucks. How did I get here?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.

"We brought you here. This is our... our home." Sam sat in the chair next to the bed as LJ tried and failed to stifle a yawn.

"You've been through a lot. You need some rest." Dean said, motioning toward the bed. The female Hunter looked warily at the bed and shook.

"I... I don't wanna be alone." She blushed as she said it, not realizing how true those words were until spoken aloud. With a slap on the back, Dean smiled.

"Sammy will stay in here with you!" Sam snapped his head towards Dean who was retreating from the room.

"Yeah, I'll stay." He said as he heard his brother sigh with relief. Dean was not as good at the whole emotional trauma stuff as he puts off to be. LJ groggily crawled back onto the bed and laid down.

"Thank you, Sam." She said with a yawn. Sam reclined his chair.

"Maybe next time when someone says that you will be safer with them, you should listen." With a small laugh, LJ snuggled under the covers. Feeling safe with Sam by her side, she welcomed the darkness. Sam watched as her breathing became slow and heavy. He switched off the light as he pulled a blanket on him.

"You're welcome." He murmured as he drifted off to sleep.

Sam awoke to a kink in his neck from sleeping on that damned chair. He pulled the handle and the footrest easily went down. Looking at the bed, he saw that LJ was not in it and that it was perfectly made. His mouth watered when he smelled bacon frying. Wrapping the blanket around him, Sam wandered into the kitchen. He saw LJ dancing around like a fool, starring in her own little show. It was still sort of early so Sam wasn't expecting Dean to be up for a while. He watched as the piled the bacon on the plate whilst simultaneously cooking pancakes.

"Wow, you are quite the multitasker." Sam stood in the doorway watching her. She turned and smiled.

"I was wondering when the scrumptious smell would waken you up!" She kept dancing around the kitchen, seemingly unharmed. She motioned her head to the kitchen table.

"Pop a squat, Gigantor." She winked as she made Sam his plate. He hadn't realized she was cooking omelets as well.

"Something smells like bacon!" Dean exclaimed walking through the door. He was in his favorite robe that he loved to wear around their "batcave." When Dean saw LJ dancing, he elbowed his brother and waggled his eyebrows as in to say, "She's a keeper." He was teasing Sam of course, taunting him to see if he will reward Dean with a bitchface.

"You're such a jerk." Sam said as he playfully pushed his brother's arm.

"And you will always be a bitch, Sammy." LJ placed Dean's plate in front of him. With a clap, she smiled.

"Hope everything is well done. There's plenty more if you are still hungry, just let me know!" She went to head out of the kitchen when Sam stopped her.

"You're not going to eat?" He asked, faced full of confusion. She shook her head.

"No. I'm not a breakfast person. I just used to-" Her voice caught in her throat, but she tried coughing to hide it. Dean eyed his little brother, seeing if he caught onto it as well.

"Sorry, I'm used to cooking for others." With a nod and a smile, she headed back to the room in which she spent the night. After they heard the shower go on, Dean put down his fork.

"So, is it just me or does she seem a little too... Happy?" Sam nodded as he swallowed his bite.

"For someone who was tortured almost to death, she seems completely... normal." They both finished their meal in silence. Just as Sam was about to wash the dishes, LJ emerges from the shower in clean clothes and her hair in a clip.

"No no no! You and Dean do what you do. I'll clean up here."

"You're a guest, let me-" She pulled the dish from his hand and shooed him away.

"Go. I like to clean." She smiled at him before turning to do the dishes that were overflowing onto the counter. Sam walked out of the kitchen and saw Dean with his feet up reading a magazine.  
"What's with you and your _Busty Asian Beauties_?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrows at him brother. Dean's lip twitched as he put his feet down.

"Guilty pleasure. Anyway, what happened in there?" Dean jerked his head in the direction of the kitchen.

"She shooed me away. She wanted to clean up and said that she liked to clean." Sam opened his laptop that was already on.

"Were you using my laptop?"

"Psh, no." Dean got up and started to head out of the room.

"Really? Because it's opened to _ "_ Sam's face was skeptical as his brother hastily exited the room. Rolling his eyes and exiting the window, Sam came across a new email from Garth. He opened it to see it was a video.

"Hey guys, Cas came to see me. Thanks for making sure she's safe. I have been trying to call you, but keep getting sent to voice-mail. I also don't know where your bunker is, so I just thought I'd send you a video message. Please let LJ know I want to see her soon." LJ came walking into the room wiping her hands on a towel.

"Where's Dean?" She looked around the room, not seeing him.

"Um, I think he's in the shower. Hey, how d'you know Garth?" Hearing his name made LJ blink a few times. She quickly sat down.

"Long story short, we hunted together and saved each other's lives a few times. I haven't heard from him in years though." She sighed as she messed with her fingers. Sam knew there was much more to the story than that, but she didn't seem like she wanted to talk about it. Surprising Sam, LJ jumped to her feet.

"Well, I better be getting out of your guys' hair. Thanks for everything. You boys will be the first ones I call if I ever need help."

"You can't leave, not yet anyway." Sam is shocked that the Hunter is trying to leave so soon. She almost died yesterday and was lucky that Cas healed her.

"Listen, I understand that you are worried about me, but Castiel healed me. I'm all better! Plus, when other Hunters hear that I've been with you two, they'll come after you in search for me."

"And you think we care because...?" Dean walked into the room without a shirt on. LJ jumped and turned around.

"Trust me when I say you both are better off without me." Dean shook his head as he grabbed the female's shoulders forcing her to sit down.

"You're still not alright. You think we didn't see you're friend in the room with you that had her throat sliced? You are in no condition to be out in the real world, not yet anyway. Let us take care of you." The female Hunter looked to Sam who was, of course, in agreement with Dean.

"I also wouldn't mind waking up to a breakfast like that every once in a while." Dean patted her shoulder as he took his seat next to her.

"I just don't want to be a nuisance." Her voice was so quiet, Sam could barely hear her.

"You are not a nuisance." He smiled at her and patted her arm.

"Dean here is the nuisance." He winked, making Dean chuckle in response. "This could turn into something interesting." LJ thought to herself.


	8. Chapter 8

After spending a few days of not going anywhere and staying in the Winchester's bunker, LJ began to grow restless. She usually would walk around the place or read books, but soon grew bored of that.

"LJ, have you eaten anything since... you've been here?" Sam questioned the restless girl. She shrugged and avoided eye contact.

"I've had a few bites of food. I don't eat a lot." She hoped he couldn't tell that she was lying and just wanted him to go away. Sam placed his hand on her shoulder and tried to look into her eyes.

"Listen, if you ever want someone to talk to, I will always listen." She flashed a smile in his direction before ducking under his arms. Dean walked through the door with an armload of groceries.

"Hey, anymore in the car?" She asked hopefully, heading toward the door.

"Nope, got them all." He walked right past her and set the groceries on the counter. LJ sighed as she went inside.

"Why so down?" Dean asked, beginning to put the food away. LJ looked up at him.

"I'm not. I just don't feel... useful." She shrugged as she grabbed a bag and began to put away its contents. Sam pulls Dean into the library.

"Dude, what's wrong with her?" Dean asks, referring to the female Hunter.

"I think she misses her old life. Her freedom." Looking up, LJ realizes the boys have left, so she finishes putting the groceries away herself. When finished, Sam walks in.

"Hey Sam, would it be alright if I used your laptop to check my email?" Sam looks back at Dean then nods.

"Of course." LJ heads off and grabs Sam's computer. She logs onto her email that has over a hundred unread emails asking about her. When she spots one from Lizzie from right after she was taken, LJ closes the laptop without logging out.

"I'm going to get some fresh air. I promise you both I won't run off." She heads outside when Sam is at her side.

"Can I accompany you?" He asks, wanting to make sure she stays safe. She nods her head and they talk a walk down the road.

"What's on your mind?" Sam asks, concerned when she doesn't speak. She shrugs her shoulders.

"I dunno, just old memories." She sends a smile up at the Hunter who she can tell is worried about her.

"Sam, how did you and Dean get sucked into this life?" She stopped walking and stared up at the Hunter. This question caught him off guard making him stutter.

"I-I was raised into it. Our d-dad was a Hunter." He didn't want to reveal everything to her seeing as she had enough to think about.

"How about you?" They began walking again and LJ sighed deeply.

"Long story short, when I was 12 my dad was killed by a vampire. I walked in on him getting his throat ripped out. I ran from the room only to run into this guy. He was about 6'2" with dark brown hair. Really gruff. Dean reminds me of him, actually." She sighed back on the thought.

"He grabbed me and pushed me outside and told me to hide. After what seemed like a lifetime, he explained to me what had happened." Her voice caught in her throat.

"Did he tell you his name?" Sam asked gently. She nodded.

"He said it was John. He took me to this guy's house. I was taught the basics of hunting but when I was 17, the man who was teaching me disappeared. I saw John a couple years after that while we were both hunting a demon. I explained to him what happened and he said he wanted me to meet his sons. But we ended up butting heads after killing the demon and I ran off without him. A few weeks after that, I got caught by this demon names Azazel. Garth saved my life." They began to head back toward the bunker when Sam stopped her.

"Did this John guy have a scruffy beard and brown eyes? And he wore this brown suede jacket?" Sam's voice began to get excited. LJ thought back and nodded.

"How did you-" Then she realized it.

"You and Dean are his sons! How did I never get that before!?" Sam was about to say something when Dean's voice could be heard. Both Hunters took off running back to the bunker and found Dean standing there out of breath.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"Garth is on his way. He is already in the general vicinity. I couldn't see you guys so I began to worry."

"Dean, you will never believe this." Sam began to explain about what LJ told him when Dean cut him off.

"We need to go get Garth and make sure he doesn't give away our Batcave." Dean hopped into the Impala and motioned for the others to follow. LJ shrugged and jumped in, happy to be getting out. They began to drive, excitement was jumping around in LJ's mind. This is the first time she has been out of containment in almost a whole week.

Garth called Dean saying he has tracked his and Sam's GPS in their phone's but it cuts out before getting there exact location. He tells Dean that he is in the general vicinity of the place and needs to talk to them, but he wants to see with his own eyes that his Hunter friend was alright. Dean still didn't know how Garth knew LJ, but he figured he would find out soon enough. While driving, Sam explained to Dean that LJ knew their father. The news of course shocked Dean.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" He demanded. LJ cowered down in the backseat, something she never would have done before. Sam calmly explained to Dean that LJ hadn't realized it until she told Sam about her childhood. Dean was shocked, but he decided to forget about it. He parked in front of Lammey's Cafe and all three Hunters got out. LJ lifted her head up as a breeze blew by ruffling her hair. Sam tapped her shoulder making her jump. She usually was never in the open, but at this moment in time, she never wanted to hide again. They walked into the restaurant and Dean spotted Garth immediately. Before letting LJ go anywhere near him, Dean forced Garth to take a shot of Holy Water and touch silver. It definitely was Garth. He jumped up and gave LJ a long, hard hug which she happily returned.

"I am so happy you are safe! Why haven't you answered any of my calls?" Everyone sat down and ordered something to eat.

"Well, my phone broke."

"You haven't gotten a new one in almost three years? If Mr. Fizzles was here, he'd call you a liiiiaaaarrrr!" LJ rolled her eyes as she drank her water. Sam and Dean were amused at how at ease the two were with one another.

"Listen, I kept you away so I knew you were safe. Last time we tried to meet up, you had your ass handed to you by demons and I was abducted." Their food arrived just then, and Sam was anxiously awaiting to see whether LJ ate it or not. He had not seen her touch food unless she was making it. Before she took a bite, she excused herself to the ladies room.

"Garth, how much do you actually know about this girl?" Dean asked the minute she was out of earshot. Garth had a huge bite of burger in his mouth, so he hurried to finish that before he could answer Dean's sort of expected answer.

"I've known her since she was at least 22. Which reminds me, do you guys celebrate birthdays?" The Winchesters look at one another.

"Um, yeah. Why?" Sam asked as he took a bite of salad.

"Well, LJ's is coming up next week and I was hoping you guys could maybe hold onto something and give it to her then?" His face was so innocent and boyish, they couldn't refuse. Sam began to worry when LJ hadn't shown up yet.

"Sammy, relax. Here she comes now." Dean took another big bite from his bacon cheeseburger as LJ sat back at the table. She seemed out of breath and her hair was up. A sign that Garth took as bad.

"What happened?" He asked. She looked up at him, shock in her eyes.

"Nothing, why?" She took a long gulp of water.

"Your hair is up. A sign that means you're either worried about something, or something is wrong." Dean cocked his head, surprised that Garth knew so much about this girl. She laughed it off and shoved almost half of her burger in her mouth.

"And, you hardly ever eat something like that unless you're trying to avoid something." As she chewed she shrugged, casually looking over her shoulder. When a man came walking past the table, she put her hand to her face as if she was trying to avoid him. It did not work.

"Jasmine? Is that you?" The man stopped at the table. She looked up with the fakest smile Sam has ever seen.

"Hey Jerry." Her face had guilt written all over it. The man, Jerry, sat next to her, making her move closer to Sam who was right beside her. Garth gave her a quizzical look as she shook her head as if telling him "You don't wanna know."

"How have you been! I haven't seen you since you moved from California!" He wrapped his arm around her, making her sigh.

"Listen, I'm sort of in the middle of something right now." She motioned to the guys who were sitting at the table with her.

"Oh, did I walk in on another lawyer thing?" He showed his teeth, a sign saying he was sorry. LJ, well in this case Jasmine, nodded her head.

"Well here's my number. Call me and we can catch up!" He squeezed her shoulder and kissed her cheek before handing her a piece of paper with his number on it.

"See you." She said and turned her back on him. When he was gone, Sam, Dean, and Garth were staring at her.

"Who the hell was that?" Dean asked, disbelief written all over his face. LJ sighed deeply and ran her hands down her face.

"A guy I went on a pity date with in college. He is so creepy, I wish I could gank his pathetic ass." Her voice had gone from cheery and happy to downright miserable and guilty.

"Where did you go to college?" Sam asked.

"Stanford, just like you." Garth answered for her. "Same years too, I believe."

"What 'lawyer thing' was that creep talking about?" Dean asked, leaning into her.

"He would always want to be with me, so I made an excuse that I-"

"Jasmine? Out of all the names in the world you picked... Jasmine?" Garth interrupted. This got LJ to chuckle.

"Hey, Jasmine was only my name on weeknights when I... worked." Dean noticed her blushing.

"Worked as what?" His curiosity was getting the better of him.

"LJ was a stripper!" Garth announced, making Sam choke on his salad. Her cheeks flushed as she looked down guiltily.

"I needed money for college." Her voice was small and tiny. Dean had a smile on his face.

"Well all-be-damned." He sat back staring at her. She pulled her hair down so she could hide behind it.

"Can we umm... get out of here. He keeps looking over here and I have a feeling he may start stalking me again." The boys finished their food and Garth insisted on paying the whole tab.

"Hey, being a stripper is nothing to be ashamed of!" Dean clapped LJ on her back as they walked out. They began walking down the street when she looked into the window of the diner. Jerry was staring at them with black eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

LJ gasps and jumps back, almost knocking Dean over in the process. Jerry gets up and begins to walk to the door when LJ grabs Dean's hand and begins running.

"What the hell?" Dean exclaims, stopping in his tracks.

"Demon!" Sam saw the fear in her eyes and looked back to see Jerry walking quickly toward them.

"Go, run!" He pushes LJ and runs right behind her as Dean and Garth stay back to fight. LJ takes the lead and jumps into an alley where she crouches and stays to the shadows.

"How do you do that?" Sam asks her. LJ focuses on slowing her breathing and calms down immediately.

"Do what?" She asks him, still crouching low.

"Hide like that. You practically disappear in the shadows." LJ shrugs.

"I guess when you're on the run for 19 years you sort of just adapt." Sam cocks his head to the side when the sound of running feet began to grow closer. He crouched in front of LJ, ready to attack if needed. When two figures rounded the corner, Sam pounced and pushed the closest one against the wall, knife against its throat. LJ tripped the other one and climbed on top, another knife ready for action.

"Garth?" Sam quickly let the Hunter on his feet and pulled his knife away. He looked over at LJ and who he guessed was Dean. He was correct.

"If you wanted to be on top, all you had to do was ask." Dean winked at the Hunter on top of him. She rolled her eyes and got up, holding out a hand to Dean which he took. Sam chuckled making LJ glare at him.

"What?" LJ and Dean asked at the same time. He wiped his face as he got his composure back.

"Nothing... It's just that, you got your ass handed to you by a girl." Dean let pushed his brother's shoulder and stalked away. A glance at Garth told LJ that he was trying hard not to laugh. With a smile, she followed Dean out of the dirty alley. Sam and Garth shared a look and a smile and were right behind the other Hunters. When they got to their cars, Garth looked as though he were about to cry.

"Oh, don't be going all boo hoo on me, Garth." Garth took Dean off guard and gave him a big bear hug. He turned to Sam, who was trying to back away, and did the same thing. Tears began to well in LJ's eyes and a lump grew in her throat. She quickly blinked away the tears and coughed. With arms held out wide, she happily welcomed Garth in what could be the last hug they would ever share.

"Hey, thanks for believing in me when nobody else did." She whispered in his ear. She could feel his smile on her head. They both pulled back and Garth jumped into his Ranchero. With a wink and a wave goodbye, he was on his way. Dean clapped his hands.

"Well, I think we should be heading home, too. Let's go." Sam and Dean both hopped into the Impala at the same time. LJ held back as she watched Garth drive away.

"Hey, Hunter Badass out there! Let's get going." She leaned in Sam's window. Before she could say a word, Dean spoke up.

"Don't you dare think that we are going to leave this place without you. You're part of the family now!" Offering him a sad smile, LJ shook her head.

"I'm too much for you guys. You shouldn't have to worry about me whenever we go out. You guys go do what you do best, saving people and hunting things. I'll do it as well, but not with you two. You guys have enough to worry about with one another. I love you both and you guys will always have a place in my heart, and maybe we will meet up again one day. But today, we both have to go separate ways." A tear had snuck its way out of her eye and she hastily wiped it away. Sam got out of the car and wrapped her a hug. He kissed the top of her head as he fought back tears. Holding her an arm's length away, he looked her directly in the eyes.

"Stay out of trouble, you hear me? We do not need anymore rescue missions." She gave one firm nod and looked toward Dean who was standing next to the driver's side door. LJ slowly walked to his side and he promptly grabbed her and pulled her close to him.

"You have to promise to call us sometime. Don't just disappear off the face of the earth and not let us know you're alright, ok?" With a nod she agreed.

"Okay." Dean bumped her chin with his fist.

"Take care of yourself, kiddo." He commanded as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He then proceeded to hop into the Impala and started the engine. With a wave of farewell, LJ began to walk in the other direction, unaware of what to do next. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean watched her walk away.

"I sure will miss her cooking." Sam exclaimed as Dean finally began to drive.

"You don't like my cooking?" He asked, offended. Sam chuckled slightly to himself.

"Dean, I like your cooking, but you gotta admit she was a pretty good cook." Dean didn't answer. Instead, he turned on the radio. _Goodbye Stranger _by Supertramp was playing. Sam and Dean remained silent for the rest of the trip. Meanwhile, LJ walked alongside the road, holding her thumb out at any passing car. Clutching her bag that she grabbed from the Impala, she knew that she would be safe on her long journey called life. Let's just hope that she can avoid the stupid mistake of trusting other people who know nothing of the life.

_The End..._

_Hope you guys enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know your thoughts/Concerns. Thank you guys xD_


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